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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Red Currant Cheesecake Ice Cream for #IsabelsBirthdayBash

Today the members of #SundaySupper are having a very special celebration. It is a virtual surprise party for our fearless leader, Isabel, of Family Foodie. This is a thank you to Isabel who works so tirelessly for us each day. We are all bringing a special dish to share during the party. We hope you will join us and we hope you enjoy all the fabulous party fare.

I searched through some of Isabel's recipes so I could get a feel for what she would like for her birthday bash. I found out that she likes cheesecake from this recipe she shared from her family. I thought about making Isabel another flavor of cheesecake but I finally settled on ice cream that tastes like cheesecake. Every birthday party needs ice cream to go with the cake that someone was sure to bring and I didn't have to turn on the oven. SCORE!!

HappyBirthdayIsabel!

This party followed closely on the heels of another party we hosted. One of our guests had brought fruit tray that contained a cream cheese fruit dip in the center. Almost the full container of this dip was left and I hate wasting food so I was trying to figure out what I could do with it. I knew it would be a great foil for the ice cream I had planned. I also had some red currants in my refrigerator from my CSA. How perfect is that, the tartness and color of the currants with the tanginess of the cream cheese dip. I had planned on adding in some graham crackers for the "crust" and to add some texture to the ice cream but when I went to grab them I spied half a box of thin butter cookies with almond slices that were sitting in my cupboard and knew that they would make a delicious addition to the dish. I could hardly wait to get this made and present it to Isabel today!

It tasted like cheesecake on a spoon. This recipe will definitely please any cheesecake lover in your household and any berry you have on hand would be the perfect addition.

Red Currant Cheesecake Ice Cream

1 container of Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

1/2 c. red currant berries, washed and pulled from the stems

3 c. half and half

1 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt
1 c. crumbled almond butter cookies or graham crackers

Place the currants into a small pan with 1 cup sugar. Cook and stir over med high heat until sugar dissolves and currants start to pop, set aside to cool. Place the cream cheese dip, half and half and salt in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the cooled currant mixture and mix on low speed until completely combined. Place bowl in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hrs until completely cooled. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions, adding the cookie crumbles during the last 5 minutes of churning. Transfer to an airtight container and place in freezer for 2-3 hours before serving. Print Recipe

Join me in celebrating Isabel's Birthday with all the delicious food and drinks her #SundaySupper family prepared!

I never knew what red currants were before I joined my CSA many years ago. The first year I looked at them like they look at the baskets on Chopped and thought "what the heck am I going to do with these?" Now I look forward to them each year.

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